Microsoft isn’t quite ready to give all Xbox One gamers access to better voice chat. Dedicated voice chat servers aren’t going into full distribution yet, but in the next few weeks, more people will have access.
The dedicated servers, which have been in preview since March, kick in when party members have issues connecting. This is typically caused by moderate or strict network address translation (NAT) settings.
The May update (available today) brings voice messaging across Xbox One and Xbox 360. You’ll also be able to power your system on and off from a Smartglass device.
Finally, Microsoft is addressing a criticism about power consumption. Prior to this update, the system defaulted to “Instant On,” which allows voice command power-up via the Kinect.
Now, during the first-time setup process, users will be able to choose between “Instant On” and an energy saving mode. Xbox One users should see the update downloaded and installed shortly.
[Source: Xbox Wire]
Our Take
One of my biggest gripes about the Xbox One is the trouble I’ve had starting and maintaining party chat. This one upgrade has the potential to greatly improve the usability of the system by drastically reducing “time to game” (defined as the time between starting up the system and getting into a game).
I’m glad Microsoft is taking its time to make sure this works properly when it goes into wider release. The sooner that happens though, the better off the Xbox One user base will be.